


Little Things

by MessOfCurls



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Established Relationship, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 19:43:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15202064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MessOfCurls/pseuds/MessOfCurls
Summary: When it comes to giving gifts, Sam and Josh's definitions of simple are very, very different.





	Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> My gift for @moonwhy on Tumblr for the until dawn summer gift exchange. I couldn't decide between your fave character, brotp and otp choices, so I went for all three! I hope you enjoy it (◕‿◕)♡

Sam heard the distant chatter of her mom talking on the phone, relaying the conversation to her father. It wasn't particularly loud, but with her bedroom door open the token inch required whenever boys came over, every word carried up the stairs, faint but crystal clear. It didn’t seem to bother her study partner though. Sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite her, hunched over his textbook, Chris seemed unfazed, used to the everyday sounds of the Giddings household.

It had been a productive afternoon so far. Chem was finished, leaving only Math to do. In hindsight, maybe they’d have gotten more done in study hall, but it was nice like this, comfortable and relaxed. Besides, the mere suggestion of staying at school any longer than necessary always set excuses rolling off Chris' tongue, so this was a good compromise and a sure-fire way to get their homework done.

...Except Sam wasn’t actually getting much of anything done, hadn’t for a while, her mind wandering in the small silence since they’d last spoken.

          “What’s wrong? You stuck?”

Chris’ voice shook Sam free of her thoughts. She glanced up from the textbook spread across her lap and belatedly realised she was frowning.

          “No, it’s…” She corrected her expression. “Well, not with _this_. I just...”

Chris looked at her, quiet and expectant, his curiosity piqued.

          Sam sat up straighter and leaned back against the bed frame. “I don’t know what to get him.”

Though it took Chris a second to work out what Sam was talking about, the who required no elaboration. Nine times out of ten, Josh was the default ‘him’ as far as their conversations went, and this was no exception.

          “Your one-year thing?” he asked.

          “Yeah. Can you think of anything?”

Chris laughed softly, and his face scrunched up as if he'd tasted something questionable. His attention returned to the pages of math problems, preferable to the current topic of conversation.

          “Oh, dude, no. What you two do is your business. Can’t you ask Hannah or something?”

Sam supposed she  _could_ askHannah. Maybe it was a little strange talking to Josh's best friend about what to get for their anniversary, but it was definitely less weird than asking _her_ best friend, she knew that much. Perhaps she would have to bite the bullet and ask Hannah eventually, even if it meant enduring the icked out expression Hannah wore whenever the topic of her brother's love life came up, but that was a last resort.

Before asking Chris, Sam had tried to go it alone, what little free time she had spent trawling Pinterest and Amazon for gift ideas. There were suggestions out there, so many pages bookmarked of things she could make or buy, but none of them felt right. Even on the rare occasions when she did find something suitable, Sam soon closed the tab, her short-lived relief brought to an abrupt end when she realised Josh already owned whatever she’d seen. It wasn’t her fault, though. With ample funds at his disposal, Josh didn't bother waiting for birthdays or Christmas, buying what he wanted when the urge struck him, rendering her winning ideas redundant.

And so, Sam faced the same question she’d faced again and again over recent weeks. What were you supposed to get a guy who had everything?

She watched Chris frown at his textbook. With the days counting down, she was growing desperate.

          “Please?”

Chris met Sam’s eye. When it became clear she wasn’t going to let it go, he put his textbook aside with a resigned sigh.

          “I don’t know. It’s... it's weird thinking of date stuff for you guys,” he admitted, shifting slightly on the floor.

          “Come on, I only have a week. What should I give him?”

          At that, Chris’ expression changed from mild discomfort to a smirk, as if he’d heard a joke. “ _Give_ him?”

          “Yeah?”

          “ _I mean_ …”

Chris trailed off, and it took Sam a moment to read the crude unspoken thought in Chris' slight smile. Her face dropped, unimpressed.

“Ew, don’t be gross.”

Chris chuckled and settled against the wall. “Well, what would you want?”

With the question posed to her, Sam fell quiet. She hadn’t really thought about it, so preoccupied with figuring out what she could get Josh that the thought of what she’d want in return hadn’t crossed her mind. She wasn't one for romance, not really. She could be sentimental, sure, but candies and flowers weren't exactly her thing.

What _did_ she want?

          “I don’t know,” Sam said finally. “I’d be happy just… I don’t know. Nothing big. Going out for the day? For a walk? Something... something simple.”

          Chris frowned, scrutinising her through narrowed eyes. “Seriously?”

          “Yes.”

          “Man, you're a cheap date, huh?”

          Sam laughed and shrugged. “I guess?”

          Chris uncrossed his legs, stretching one out and pulling the knee of the other up to his chest. “You’ve bought him stuff before, right?”

          “Yes, but…”

She’d bought Josh gifts in the past, but that was before they’d been more than just friends. It hadn’t mattered so much back then, there hadn’t been the same expectation. But now?

          “...This is different.”

          “Yeah, it is. You get to play the girlfriend card now,” Chris said encouragingly, as though it was obvious. “Sam, the guy’s been crushing on you since we were like, ten. You could show up late, empty-handed and look like crap and he’d be happy, he’s got it _bad_. Personally, I don’t see it, but…”

Sam shot Chris a look, but there was no real malice in it, and her glare soon softened to a smile.

          “Maybe," she conceded uncertainly, "but it needs to be something good. You saw Christmas, right? _Valentine’s_ _Day_ ," she said, eyes widening.

          "Yeah." Chris laughed, breaking into a grin. “Pretty sure you could see that from space.”

There was another reason for Sam's anxiety besides the narrowing window of time she'd left herself to find a gift. When they started dating, she'd quickly learned that subtlety wasn’t Josh’s strong suit, both holidays prime examples of just how over the top Josh’s gift-giving could be.

Sure, it was thoughtful. Lovely, even. But it had been a bit much, an understatement that barely did justice to Josh's displays of affection. With that in mind, the likelihood that Josh might go all out was a genuine possibility and made Sam especially glad that this occasion fell on a Saturday. At least she could avoid the stares of her peers time this time.

Saturday. _This_ Saturday.

She was running out of time.

          “You seriously can’t think of anything?” Sam tried again, at a loss.

          Chris regarded Sam for a long moment with a pitying look that barely hid his amusement. “You’re really stuck on this, aren’t you?”

          “Yes!”

          “Okay." Chris folded his arms and glanced at Sam's workbook. "Give me question five, and maybe I’ll help you out."

          "Can’t you Google it?"

          "Gotta show my working," Chris said simply. His smile grew.

          Sam opened her mouth, lips parting in quiet disbelief. "You're really not going to help me, are you?"

          "If you want my help..."

          Slowly, warily, Sam picked up her workbook and held it out. Chris reached for it, but no sooner had it been offered Sam retracted her hand, holding it in the air just out of reach. "This had better be good.”

Chris let his hand drop to his lap.

          "Fine. Okay, so he’s been trying to talk me into going to this movie marathon thing in a few weeks. Maybe you could take him to that? He wouldn’t expect it, and he’d like going with you, so."

          "You don’t want to go?” Sam asked.

          “It’s showing every night for a week. He’ll ask me to go again, _trust me_.”

Sam didn’t doubt it. Josh had mentioned the event several times. True, he hadn't asked her to go, correctly assuming she wouldn't want to, but he did seem hyped about it.

          "So...?" Chris prompted, holding out his hand.

Sam scrutinised her friend, weighing it up. She wasn't into horror movies, and a five-hour binge of blood and gore wasn’t high on her list of things to do. But Chris was right; Josh would like it a lot. It wasn't a terrible idea.

Without a word, she placed her workbook on the carpet and slid it towards Chris, who took it with a grin. 

* * *

 

Sam wasn’t sure why she expected Josh to be anything other than deliberately mysterious when Saturday morning came, his usual morning text accompanied by two cryptic yet straightforward requests, the first merely telling her to 'wear flats', the second asking her to go to his place. She found it odd that Josh hadn't come to meet her, but if Sam was honest, part of her was secretly relieved. She didn't embarrass easily but dreaded the thought of a spectacle in front of her house, especially with her family at home, and could only imagine what her brothers would say.

And so, she'd done as Josh asked, wondering with growing apprehension what he had in store for her on the walk over, but any thought of spectacle soon vanished when she found herself alone on the doorstep of the Washington household without fanfare.

Nobody answered when she knocked. There were no cars in the drive, and it looked like there wasn't anyone home.

After standing there for a moment, silently confused, Sam considered calling him. But then she saw it, an envelope with her name on it lying on the welcome mat by her feet.

She picked it up then opened it, pulling loose a postcard. On it was a picture of a place she didn't recognise, somewhere she hadn't been. Pink and purple mountains spread along the background beneath a canopy of clouds, blocking out the horizon, their foothills covered by a swathe of green. A lake dominated the foreground, flanked by hardy-looking trees, its mirrored surface bright in the sunlight.

Sam ran her thumb curiously over the coin taped to the picture then turned the card over and read the message on the back.

_A taste for the beautiful is most cultivated out of doors._

It was Josh's handwriting, a neater version of his usual dense scrawl, granted, but definitely his.

Sam looked up at the house, but the lights were still off, the blinds and curtains closed.

_What the heck?_

She pondered the postcard, brow creasing when she found herself no more enlightened than before.

At a loss, Sam took out her phone, sat down on the front step, and sent Josh a message.

**Where are you?**

A moment later, she received a text, just as cryptic as the last.

**Come find me.**

Sam stared at the message, tempted to reply, but thought better of it, already knowing she wouldn't get a straight answer.

So, Josh was off somewhere, and this was what? A clue?

Sam looked at the quarter then reread the line of text. Out of doors, that was straightforward enough. But what about the coin?

She checked the date on it, but that didn't help. There wasn't a stamp or anything else on the postcard that might point her in the right direction either.

Out of doors… a coin. A coin for… what?

It came to her then, the answer sticking even as she thought to dismiss it. They hadn't been there since last summer. If she was right, then…

Her lips curled into a smile.

_What are you up to?_

Armed with two tickets to a monster movie marathon she really didn’t want to attend, clue in hand, Sam got to her feet, dusted down her dress and set off, hoping she was on the right track. 

* * *

           "We're nearly there."

          "You said that five minutes ago," Josh said, amused.

          "We _are_ ," Sam insisted through laughter while Josh kept pace, the steady crunch of their sneakers in the dirt at odds as they climbed the hill.

Sure enough, they reached their destination in a matter of moments, grass tapering away as the path opened to an overlook in a part of the park where the trees grew wild, the dog walkers and joggers left far below. In the centre of the clearing stood a tower viewer, its metal body glinting in the sun. Clumps of dry grass and wild plants sprouted around the posts of the sturdy wooden fence beyond.

Sam released Josh's hand and stepped into the clearing, her smile growing as she looked around and felt a familiar swell of contentment in her chest. Resting her weight on the tower viewer, she turned to Josh, beaming.

          "So?"

          Josh watched her from the path and tilted his head. "This is it?"

          Undeterred, Sam walked to the guardrail and leaned upon it. "Come on, it's nice."

          "Yeah, if you like walking uphill for half an hour."

          Sam threw Josh a small ineffectual scowl over her shoulder then brightened. "It's worth it though, right? I mean, look at that view. Isn't that something?”

          “It’s something,” Josh conceded, joining her at the guardrail.

Side by side, they looked out over the park, an unmanicured green space in the hills above the city. Gazing at the vista spread out before them on such a beautiful day, civilisation seemed a lifetime away.

The trip had been Sam's idea. She usually came here alone, a welcome break from the everyday, but she'd wanted to show him. She wasn't sure why.

          "You can see the other side of the lake from here."

          Josh followed Sam's gaze to the tower viewer, regarding it thoughtfully. "Does it work?"

Encouraged by Josh's interest, whether feigned or not, Sam slipped her backpack from her shoulders and checked the front pocket with fresh enthusiasm, smile faltering when her search proved fruitless.

          "Got a quarter?"

Josh reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He peered inside, fingers rifling through a few bills.

          "I'm guessing it doesn't make change?"

Sam smiled and shook her head.

          "It's okay," she said. “Doesn’t matter.”

They stood there for a long moment, listening to the sound of distant bird calls and the wind tousling the trees. Smiling, Sam placed her hands on the rail and closed her eyes. The sun felt good on her face, warm and revitalising. She'd put up with Josh's griping most of the way, Josh impatient as ever, but it was worth the climb. She'd known it would be.

          "You really like this place, huh?" Josh asked, breaking the silence.

          "Uh-huh."

          "Why?"

Sam opened her eyes and turned to him. "I don't know. It feels... fresh up here. Like you're the only one around or something. The only person in the world."

Josh didn't speak, watching her curiously.

In the quiet that followed, Sam's cheeks flushed faintly with unwanted warmth, made suddenly self-conscious by the earnestness of her words. Maybe she'd shared too much.

Feeling strangely awkward, she looked away.

          "You probably think that's stupid," she added, almost an apology.

Sam felt Josh's hand join hers on the rail, fingers linking her own.

          “It's not stupid.”

She looked at him then, surprised. Josh's mocking tone had gone, replaced by a sincerity that renewed her smile.

          "It's not?"

          "Nah," Josh said, squeezing her hand. He matched her smile and made a show of looking out over the landscape. "I guess I can kinda see the appeal." 

* * *

Nearly a year later, Sam retraced their steps up the dirt path, the solitary climb made tougher by the sandals she wore. She hadn’t seen many people on the incline, nor clues, her journey based purely on gut feeling. But, preoccupied with thoughts of what might be in store for her, she felt her certainty growing with every step.

Finally, the ground plateaued, and Sam reached the clearing, prepared to confront Josh's ready smile.

She stopped, frowning.

Josh wasn’t there.

She looked around, less confident than before, but the lapse in morale was fleeting, her doubts allayed when she saw a note taped to the tower viewer. Pleased with her detective work, she took a moment to appreciate her surroundings then went to the note. Another quick glance over her shoulder and she peeled it from the metal, unfolded it, and was met with Josh’s handwriting once more.

_A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature._

Sam smiled, perplexed. It didn't sound like a very Josh-y sentiment. Where was he getting these quotes from?

She put the thought aside and lifted her gaze, eyes drawn to the guardrail. Okay, so the lake was an obvious enough clue, but what was she supposed to do with that information? The path down to its bank wasn’t far, but the descent was steep. Maybe a little too steep. Was Josh… was he down there?

Mulling it over, Sam fished the postcard from her purse and reread the first clue, running her finger over the coin. Her hand stilled.

There was another way to find out.

She returned to the tower viewer, unpicking the tape holding the coin in place while she walked. After placing the postcard in her purse, she looked at the telescope and held up the coin.

This felt right. What else could it be for? Perhaps it was only meant to point her in the right direction, to give her this location, but it _felt_ like what she was supposed to do.

          "Here goes nothing."

Sam fed the coin into the slot and heard it sink into the depths of the machine. With a satisfying sound of turning gears, she twisted the lever and pressed her face to the scope.

At first, she saw nothing, the world a blurry smear of brown and green. Slowly, she turned the scope and her vision cleared, the landscape shifting in and out of focus as she surveyed the scenery, adjusting to the new perspective.

_So… where are you?_

Sam traced the treetops with the viewer then tilted it down, following the path of a couple walking along the far side of the lake. A few shrubs came into view, more trees, but nothing of note.

Aware of the limited time she had to explore, she tried again, trailing the bank until…

_...What?_

A sign stood out from the ground, a rectangle of white attached to a post. Slowly its message came into focus; two words that sent an unexpected jolt of fear through her.

TURN AROUND

Sam blinked then quickly turned, half-expecting to feel a hand on her shoulder and hear familiar laughter, a jerky prank at her expense, but nothing.

Hesitantly, she returned to the viewer but heard it click, the metal blinkers slotting back into place.

_Turn around. Okay…_

Sam peered back the way she came, but the path was deserted, same as before.

Turn around… go back down the hill, maybe? Was that what that meant? That was if the sign had even been intended for her.

Sam reached into her purse, searching blindly for another quarter just to be sure, but her hand stilled mid-grasp as another white square caught her eye; a note nailed to a nearby tree. Excitement growing, she went to it and pulled it loose, giving the nail a disapproving look, then unfolded the note. Another clue.

_Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads._

She reread it.

_Over our heads…_

Sam looked up. Her face dropped.

A blue balloon hovered in the air above a branch some ten feet up from the ground. She hadn't spotted it from the clearing, blocked from view by foliage, but now she saw it. A few branches jutted out from the trunk below it, more attainable, but still a challenge.

He couldn't be serious.

Sam glanced down at her sandals. Without grip, it would be a big endeavour; they weren’t exactly the best footwear when it came to scaling trees.

She watched the balloon float and bob, tauntingly out of reach.

It would be difficult, but not impossible.

Now convinced that Josh didn't know what ‘flats’ were, Sam unbuckled her sandals, more hindrance than a help, and slipped them off with a quiet huff, placing them at the base of the tree. She lifted her purse strap up over her head, let it settle across her chest, and plotted her course, readying herself.

A final glance around and she reached for the first chest-height branch. Lifting herself up with, she hoisted herself up onto it and hooked her leg over it as gracefully as she could, barely pausing before looking to the next branch and repeating the action.

_Two down._

Straddling the branch, Sam looked up.

She was nearly there, the balloon almost in reach.

Pressing one hand to the trunk, Sam carefully got to her feet. The branch felt sturdy enough for now. Dress billowing in the breeze, she strafed along it and reached for the final branch, first with one hand then her other.  

          “Uh…”

She wasn’t stuck, not exactly, but with her arms above her head, sure foothold reduced to strained tiptoes, it was going to take some doing.

          "Right..."

Sam took a breath then pushed off with her feet, hanging in the air for a second before twisting her body and walking her bare feet up the trunk, pulling herself up with a groan of exertion. A bit of shuffling, a bit of shifting, and a few choice curse words later, she was finally atop it.

With a sigh of relief, she leaned back against the safety of the trunk and batted the balloon away from her face.

Now more than ever, she was surprised Josh wasn’t present. He’d have loved seeing this, would probably have found the whole thing hilarious. When she did find him, they were going to have words.

Breath caught, Sam brushed her hair from her eyes and smoothed down her dress, absently checking it for marks and stains. Satisfied, she looked along the branch and let out a bout of incredulous laughter.

There was another note, taped neatly to the base of the balloon’s string.

          “Oh, _good_.”

Of course, Josh wouldn’t make this easy.

Sam reached for the envelope then sat back once more. She tore it open, revealing a greeting card with a simple heart on its front. Smiling, she opened it.

A number of things happened very quickly.

The card opened, but Sam didn’t get a chance to check it for heartfelt sentiment, the movement acting as a trigger that sent the card's contents springing to life. At once, the air in front of her was a mess of crepe paper confetti as it fired from the card in a shower of colour, joined by a small cube made of card, flattened till now. With a shriek, she caught the cube, swatting the confetti away even as the greeting card fell from her fumbling hands to the ground below.

Heart racing, Sam clung to the trunk behind her with her free hand.

          “What the hell?”

They were _definitely_ going to have words.

Regaining her composure, Sam laughed relief and was glad nobody was there to see her outburst. Slowly her curiosity outweighed her surprise, and her attention returned to the cube.

Sam turned it over in her hands, inspecting the images on each side. Four of the sides bore pictures her and Josh, some from before, but mostly from the time they’d been together. She looked at them - a few group shots cropped down to just the pair of them, another from the photobooth at the bowling alley - and felt her ill will towards Josh ebbing just a touch.

She swung her bag up by the strap, placed it on her lap, then retrieved her phone. With confetti littering her clothes and clinging to her hair, she posed for a selfie with the cube, then sent it to Josh.

Her phone buzzed barely a moment later, rewarded with a bout of written laughter and two more messages.

**You did it**

**Knew you could. X**

Sam smiled then returned her phone to her purse, the cube garnering her attention once more. There were two sides devoid of photos. One side was a picture of a star, its opposite number another quote in Josh’s hand.

_I have, as it were, my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself._

Sam's eyes lit up. She remembered then, could place the source of Josh’s borrowed words. Walden. She’d given a book report on it years ago - her favourite book at the time - a fact her friends seemed thoroughly unimpressed by and unable to understand. Had Josh remembered or was it mere coincidence?

Sam looked at the multi-coloured confetti clinging to her dress. On closer inspection, she now saw the shapes for what they were, tiny shooting stars, ringed planets and crescent moons.

_Sun and moon and stars…_

She scanned the horizon. In the light of day, only one was visible.

Pondering it, Sam allowed herself a moment to relax, content despite her precarious resting place. For some reason, she felt younger than her years, reminded of sunny days spent in similar perches, peering down at the ground as if it were miles below.

Smiling, she looked around from her vantage point amid the branches.

_Sun and moon and--_

To her right, distant yet recognisable, she saw the copper dome of the planetarium cresting the treetops, turned green by time and the elements.

 _Bingo._  

* * *

The air grew cooler as Sam stepped inside the building, the heat of the day dulled, its brightness replaced by low lighting. It wasn’t too busy, but compared to her last pit-stop, it was positively heaving, the chatter of parents a background current of sound punctuated by the occasional excited shrieks of children. High-res photos of galaxies and other astronomical marvels decked the walls, swirling gases and pinpricks of light enhanced to blossoming balls and clouds of colour.

Standing in the lobby, Sam felt confident in her deduction. But where to start?

A replica of the solar system stood to her right, the planets reduced to the size of beach balls, the sun out of scale yet large in their midst. To her left was the gift shop, its shelves lined with posters, postcards, keychains and branded erasers. It seemed as good a place to start as any.

Feeling sure of herself, Sam headed toward the merchandise, ready to investigate when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

          “Excuse me?”

A college-age guy with shaggy brown hair was standing behind the ticket stand, looking over at her while his colleague rang up tickets for a woman and the child tugging at her dress. He wore the same royal blue shirt as his co-worker. Sam gave him a quizzical look, but the guy was adamant, beckoning her over with an encouraging wave of his hand. Warily, she walked to the ticket stand. Before she could question him, he spoke again.

          “Hey, uh, are you Sam?”

          “Uh-huh.”

          “Sam Giddings?”

          “Yes…?” she replied cautiously.

At that, the guy’s face brightened.

          “Ha, knew it. I’ve got something for you, one sec.” He ducked down, rummaging below the desk, returning a moment later with an envelope. “This is for you.”

          “Thanks...” Sam eyed the name tag pinned to the guy’s chest, his name flanked by two gold stars. “...Noah?”

          “No worries.” He smiled, his warm, lazy eyes brightening as Sam warily took the envelope from him. “You’re like, the third girl I’ve asked, but I _knew_ it was you this time.”

Sam glanced up from the envelope, quietly confused.

          “How did you…?” she asked, dreading to think how he’d known.

          “Well, I was asked to give this to...” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper, “...a ‘smoking hot blonde,’ and to ‘tell her I used those words, so she doesn’t get mad at you,’” he added quickly, rechecking the note.

For a moment, Sam was speechless and could only slowly shake her head to herself, smiling disbelief. This was Josh’s work without a doubt.

          “How much did he pay you to do this?” she asked finally.

          “I was told not to say.”

          “Right.”

Mission accomplished, Noah leaned forward on the desk and watched Sam examine the envelope.

          “So, uh. That guy’s your boyfriend?”

          Sam met the transparent show of nonchalance with a soft smirk. "Yeah."

_For now._

          “Figures,” Noah said, doing little to hide his disappointment as he straightened. “Well, if you ever need tickets, I can hook you up,” he added, grinning.

          Sam’s smirk broadened. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

          “No doubt, no doubt.”

Without another word, Sam left, relieved, and felt Noah watch her walk away. 

* * *

Out in the sunshine, Sam sat on a nearby bench and unsealed the clue. With the confetti explosion fresh in her memory, she opened it with caution and, when no explosion came, she tipped the uneven scraps of paper into her lap. There was maybe a dozen in total, cut into irregular shapes, each fragment bearing part of a picture on one side.

_Like puzzle pieces._

It didn’t take much effort to rearrange them, and Sam recognised the image before it was fully formed: a still from the movie My Girl, Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky’s first kiss. Immediately, her mind set to work figuring out the meaning behind it.

She’d seen the movie and figured Josh had too, but they hadn’t seen it together so… what did it mean? The idea of a movie theatre sprang to mind as a possible destination, but that didn’t seem right. Most times, they watched movies at Josh’s place in his dad’s home cinema, saving on ticket prices though Josh would be only too willing to pay.

There wasn’t a quote this time, no leading words to guide her to her goal. Their absence triggered a thought.

Carefully, Sam turned the pieces over and rearranged them, revealing more text, black on white. Without realising, she read them aloud to herself.

_Man wanted a home, a place for warmth, or comfort, first of physical warmth, then the warmth of the affections._

This quote wasn’t as clear as the others, the clue not as obvious. She tried picking out the keywords. Warmth, maybe? Somewhere warm? Comfort, perhaps, but no, that wasn’t right.

Sam reread the quote and found herself drawn to one word above the others.

Home. Her home? They’d kissed at her house before, _plenty_ of times, but--

No.

Wait.

But that meant… 

* * *

It was dark out, Sam's task lit by strings of LEDs and pool lights as she wandered the Washington's backyard. The others had gone inside, but evidence of their presence remained, plastic cups and soiled paper plates left abandoned on the lawn and by the pool when the party moved indoors. She worked alone, gathering them up and chucking them into the trash bag she held in one hand, trailing on the ground behind her.

Nobody had asked her to tidy up, but Sam didn’t mind, motivated by the unappealing prospect of dealing with ants and wasps the next morning. She had a reputation for ‘moming’ it when it came to these kinds of gatherings, but it didn't bother her. Besides, Bob and Mel were nice; they liked her, and she liked them. More importantly, they trusted her, sometimes more than her own offspring. She was the one her friends' parents contacted on a night out, a presence that put their minds at ease. Trashing their house while they were away for the weekend didn’t seem like a great way to maintain that trust.

          “What are you doing?” an amused voice asked.

Sam glanced up, plate in hand, to find Josh watching her from the back door.

          “What does it look like?”

          “You don’t have to.”

          “Who else is going to? You?” she asked, matching Josh's smile before returning to the task at hand, dumping the plate into the bag. “It's okay; I’ll be in in five.”

She expected Josh to make a joke at her expense then return inside, but he hadn’t. Instead, he looked around, scanning the ground, then stooped down to pick up a half-empty can.

          “Did you see where Hannah went?” he asked, tipping the dregs into the bushes.

Sam held the bag open, and Josh tossed the can inside.

          “I put her to bed.”

          “Ah.”

 Josh chuckled, and they shared a knowing look. His sister had never been good at holding her drinks. He gathered up a few more pieces of trash and returned to the bag, looking less than thrilled about dealing with the mess.

          “It’s okay, I’ve got this,” Sam insisted, but Josh had merely shrugged in reply.

          “Meh, if it gets you in quicker.”

And so, Josh helped her clean up, navigating strewn sun loungers, locating more trash, and feeding it to the garbage bag. She couldn’t remember what they’d talked about, not entirely, but knew he'd made her laugh a lot. He was good at that.

Eventually, Josh stopped. It seemed he’d done enough.

          “We done here, Sammy?”

He’d called her Sammy for as long as she could remember, and it always sent a flush of warmth through her, a friendly nickname that carried more weight than it should.

Sam looked around. A few areas of disorder remained, there were a few pieces of wayward pieces of lawn furniture yet to be put back in place, but it was a lot better than before.

She nodded, and he’d smiled, a look that differed from the everyday. It was softer, somehow warmer than his usual crooked grin, an expression she realised later was entirely for her.

          “You wanna go back in?” Josh asked. "It's not the same without you."

It wasn’t intended to be romantic, just a simple question, but suddenly there was a moment, a pause where they both felt it, Sam could tell.

She heard the others back at the house, another crescendo of laughter over the music, but paid it no mind.

The truth was, she didn’t want to go back inside, not yet. She hung out with Josh a lot, but rarely alone, and she… she liked this. Josh was different on his own, just with her.

          “Sammy?”

That name again.

Josh gently placed his hand on her shoulder, and Sam watched his expression change, no less warm, but curious in the quiet, almost concerned.

She'd liked him for a long time, a feeling that grew as surely as they did from children to teens, changing from friendship to something more complicated and weighty as time passed. She suspected he liked her too, or maybe just hoped, but she'd never done anything about it, had passed up so many moments and missed so many opportunities, dismissing the idea for fear of ruining a good thing.

And then?

It seemed to happen out of the blue, but in hindsight, they'd both been tiptoeing around it for a long time, bright smiles and laughter, lingering touches, teasing words and jokes and oh he'd looked so good right then. Standing close with the pool light throwing light and shadows on his face, Josh looked disarmed, a softer version of his usual self.

He’d smiled and moved so slightly, and what courage Sam possessed moved her too, tilting her head and pressing her lips to his.

Josh told her later that he hadn’t expected it, that his intention was merely to rouse her from her thoughts and that he’d never have dared push his luck, but that revelation didn't lessen what Sam felt when she thought back on the look he wore when she'd pulled away. He’d looked at her, surprised, but in the best kind of way; an expression first of disbelief then unclouded happiness plainly written on his face. If the time spent clearing up beforehand was forgotten, it was to make room for the preservation of this memory in its stead, Sam was sure.

A moment passed that seemed to last forever, delicate and yet there was nothing uncertain about it. And then Josh had leaned in, on purpose this time, and kissed her.

Their first kiss - no build up, no fanfare - but she remembered it so clearly.

First kiss. Home.

He was at the house, waiting for her. She knew it. 

* * *

Though she was no stranger to exercise, Sam's feet ached, throbbing dully by the time she reached Josh’s house. With her purse brimming over with notes and puzzle pieces, she was officially walked out for the day. Part of her expected something, anything, to have changed in her absence, but the lights were off, the cars still absent. She looked along the length of the quiet cul-de-sac, and her frown soon disappeared, replaced with a pleased little smile when she saw a yellow balloon bobbing on the end of its string, tied to the fence at the side of the house.

Definitely on the right track.

Smiling, she approached the gate beside the balloon and found it unlocked. She closed it behind her, threw a friendly wave to the security camera installed high up on the wall, the way she had a hundred times before, then paused to peer through the living room window. She couldn't see anybody, just a picture-perfect scene straight from the pages of 'House & Home', not a thing out of place.

Slowly, she rounded the house to the yard, gaze drawn to a lone gingham blanket spread across the immaculately mown lawn. But still, no Josh.

Undeterred, she strolled across the grass, pausing beside the blanket when a familiar voice called out to her.

          “Hey, you. What took so long?”

Sam turned, and her face lit up. And there, finally, was Josh, emerging from the sliding glass doors with a cooler held in one hand.

          “Some jerk had me climbing trees and trekking through the woods all morning.”

          “He did, huh?” Josh asked, looking entirely too pleased with himself as he joined her beside the blanket. Grinning brightly, he kissed her on the forehead.

          “When did you even do all that?” Sam asked.

          “Got up early. It’s no big deal,” Josh replied, more than a little smug.

          “But the sign… the lake?” Sam pressed.

          “What can I say? I’m pretty good at this kinda stuff. I thought you knew that.”

          Sam laughed, hand on hip. "And what would you have done if it was raining, huh?”

          Josh didn’t even seem to consider it, shrugging indifferently as he set the cooler down on the grass. “Man, you ask a lot of questions.”

Revealing no more, Josh gestured to the blanket and held out his hand, which Sam gladly took, using him for balance while she removed her shoes. Barefoot and feeling better for it, she let Josh guide her down onto the lawn.

Josh emptied his pockets then sat down and stretched out his legs. He leaned back on his hands, face lifted to the sun.

Chuckling to herself, Sam slipped off her bag and placed it beside her. Leaning on one arm, she turned to Josh.

          "What?" Josh asked.

          “I just can’t believe you did that.”

          “It’s no big deal," Josh said again, dismissing the thought with a wave of his hand, and the sentiment sounded more genuine this time. "You wanted something simple, right? A walk or something?”

It was, Sam supposed, simple by Josh's standards; no bouquets or skywriting had been involved, at least. But the words Josh used sounded eerily familiar.

          “Chris put you up to this?”

          “I don't know what you're talking about,” Josh said, feigned ignorance betrayed by the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. It softened, turning thoughtful. “I _was_ gonna have you find me somewhere else, but I knew if you got lost you’d come back here to give me hell about it anyway, so…” He gave another small shrug. “I knew you'd figure it out though."

          “Oh, yeah?”

          “Yeah, you’re a huge nerd, of course you did,” he said matter-of-factly.

Sam threw Josh a scowl. A soft punch to the arm followed.

Josh rubbed his arm, recovering quickly. He glanced over his shoulder, then back to Sam.

          “Besides, everyone’s out today; got the house to myself," he continued. "Figured we could spend the day here, just you and me. Well, some of it,” he admitted, checking his watch. “Sound good?”

Sam smiled and nodded gently. It sounded very, very good.

Josh's gaze met her own in a moment of content, comfortable silence before realisation struck him, his eyes lighting up as he remembered.

          “Got you something.”

Josh picked up a box from the blanket beside him and handed it to Sam, a box, Sam observed with growing apprehension, that looked a lot like it contained jewellery.

Warily, Sam took it and, bracing herself, opened it.

          “You like it?” Josh asked, less confident than before.

Sam peered down at the slender bracelet. It wasn't too showy or gaudy, no diamonds or gems, just an uncomplicated band of blue that was, surprisingly, rather tasteful. Simple.

          “Yeah. Yeah, it’s perfect,” she said, finding her words as a warm smile found her lips. "Thank you."

Visibly relieved, Josh watched Sam slip on the bracelet, holding up her hand to admire the way it looked circling her wrist.

          “Looks good on you,” he said, adding, “You look nice, by the way.”

Sam glanced down at herself.

       “I _did_.”

Josh chuckled and brushed a piece of star confetti from her hair, then kissed her again a lingering press of lips. Holding her hand, he slowly pulled away.

          “You hungry?”

          “You made food?”

          “Uh-huh," Josh said, looking pleased with himself again. “I thought the blanket suggested as much?”

          “ _You_?”

          “Yeah?”

Josh's culinary skills left a lot to be desired, his track record subpar at best. But, despite that knowledge, sitting side by side in the sun with the rest of the day ahead of them, Sam couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather be doing. Besides, it couldn't be _that_ bad.

          "Yeah," Sam said warmly. “I could eat.”

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: @messofcurls-creative


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